Weve been hearing about Apple Intelligence since June but only now has it become real. With iOS 18.2, just released, Apple has unleashed a deluge of improvements to make the iPhone (and iPad and Mac) more useful. But is the new release good to go or should you hold back?Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max.Getty ImagesNote that Ill be updating this post over the coming days and will make a final assessment on Thursday, Dec. 19.Who Is It For And How Do You Get It?Apple iOS 18.2 works with all iPhones that can run iOS 18, which is the same list of devices which could handle iOS 17. This means all iPhones from the iPhone XS onwards, including the second- and third-generation iPhone SE models.Apple Intelligence is the marquee feature here, but it only works on six iPhones: iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.What Its AboutTwo words: Apple Intelligence. Thats not to say there isnt more to this update, but Apple Intelligence is key. Not only is it the biggest upgrade to Apple Intelligence so far, its the entire delivery of the new features for users in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa, which havent had any Apple Intelligence features until now.MORE FOR YOUApple iOS 18. 2 SecurityThere are several security issues which are addressed by iOS 18.2, such as solutions to problems in both WebKit which is key to the Safari browser and the iPhone Kernel. Forbes colleague Kate OFlaherty has more details on the security aspects to this big update here. Note that while the last iOS 18 update was accompanied by an iOS 17 update for those users who didnt want to get onto the iOS 18 bandwagon, there are far fewer options this time around. Apple is saying you should upgrade to iOS 18. Indeed, those were CEO Tim Cooks words to me when the update was happening, saying users should do it in a rush.First ReactionsThere have been some comments pertaining to issues not being solved or (the usual) worries about battery life. However, battery worries are almost never borne out in the hours or days after an update lands, so check back for a final update on that.Overall, though there have been plenty of positive comments, such as one user who said, Huge upgrade from 18.1.1. Fixes all the problems of previous releases of iOS 18. I think this is it. No need for anymore updates. Even Apple intelligence works as promised. Even Siri responds to all my questions perfectly!Apple iOS 18.2 Initial Verdict: UpdateThere are so many feature updates in iOS 18.2 that updating always seemed the most likely thing to do unless it all fell over dramatically. That hasnt happened, so unless youre dead against Apple Intelligence, this seems a great time to upgrade to iOS 18 if youve previously held back.

As companies race to build more powerful AI, safety measures are being left behind. A report published Wednesday takes a closer look at how companies including OpenAI and Google DeepMind are grappling with the potential harms of their technology. It paints a worrying picture: flagship models from all the developers in the report were found to have vulnerabilities, and some companies have taken steps to enhance safety, others lag dangerously behind.The report was published by the Future of Life Institute, a nonprofit that aims to reduce global catastrophic risks. Theopen letter calling for a pause on large-scale AI model training drew unprecedented support from 30,000 signatories, including some of technology's most prominent voices. For the report, the Future of Life Institute brought together a panel of seven independent expertsincluding Turing Award winner Yoshua Bengio and Sneha Revanur from Encode Justicewho evaluated technology companies across six key areas: risk assessment, current harms, safety frameworks, existential safety strategy, governance & accountability, and transparency & communication. Their review considered a range of potential harms, from carbon emissions to the risk of an AI system going rogue.The findings of the AI Safety Index project suggest that although there is a lot of activity at AI companies that goes under the heading of safety, it is not yet very effective, said Stuart Russell, a professor of computer science at University of California, Berkeley and one of the panelists, in a statement.Despite touting its responsible approach to AI development, Meta, Facebooks parent company, and developer of the popular Llama series of AI models, was rated the lowest, scoring a F-grade overall. X.AI, Elon Musks AI company, also fared poorly, receiving a D- grade overall. Neither Meta nor x.AI responded to a request for comment.The company behind ChatGPT, OpenAIwhich early in the year was accused of prioritizing shiny products over safety by the former leader of one of its safety teamsreceived a D+, as did Google DeepMind. Neither company responded to a request for comment.commitment to AI safety during the Seoul AI Summit in May, was rated D overall. Zhipu could not be reached for comment.Anthropic, the company behind the popular chatbot Claude, which has made safety a core part of its ethos, ranked the highest. Even still, the company received a C grade, highlighting that there is room for improvement among even the industrys safest players. Anthropic did not respond to a request for comment.In particular, the report found that all of the flagship models evaluated were found to be vulnerable to jailbreaks, or techniques that override the system guardrails. Moreover, the review panel deemed the current strategies of all companies inadequate for ensuring that hypothetical future AI systems which rival human intelligence remain safe and under human control.I think it's very easy to be misled by having good intentions if nobody's holding you accountable, says Tegan Maharaj, assistant professor in the department of decision sciences at HEC Montral, who served on the panel. Maharaj adds that she believes there is a need for independent oversight, as opposed to relying solely on companies to conduct in-house evaluations.There are some examples of low-hanging fruit, says Maharaj, or relatively simple actions by some developers to marginally improve their technologys safety. Some companies are not even doing the basics, she adds. For example, Zhipu AI, x.AI, and Meta, which each rated poorly on risk assessments, could adopt existing guidelines, she argues.However, other risks are more fundamental to the way AI models are currently produced, and overcoming them will require technical breakthroughs. None of the current activity provides any kind of quantitative guarantee of safety; nor does it seem possible to provide such guarantees given the current approach to AI via giant black boxes trained on unimaginably vast quantities of data, Russell said. And its only going to get harder as these AI systems get bigger. Researchers are studying techniques to peer inside the black box of machine learning models.In a statement, Bengio, who is the founder and scientific director for Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms, underscored the importance of initiatives like the AI Safety Index. They are an essential step in holding firms accountable for their safety commitments and can help highlight emerging best practices and encourage competitors to adopt more responsible approaches, he said.

Home Weekly Roundup 5 Headlines from the Week You Just Cant Miss News Weekly Roundup 5 Headlines from the Week You Just Cant Miss7 min read Published: December 12, 2024 Key TakeawaysTikTok has appealed to the Supreme Court to put its impending US ban on hold.Apple is facing a $1.2 billion lawsuit for abandoning its plans to prevent the distribution of child-abusive sexual material on iCloud.X adds a new image generator called Aurora to GrokAI.OpenAI launches a $200 super plan for users.Grok AI is finally available for free for all users.Didnt have the chance to catch up on the news this week? No worries, weve got you covered! Heres a quick summary of the top 5 important news from the week:1. TikTok Is Trying to Stall Its Us Ban Slated for 2025TikTok is doing its best to delay the impending ban on its app. It had submitted an appeal to a federal court, requesting an emergency injunction to prevent the app from getting banned from January 2025. But the court turned down the request, forcing the company to submit a similar plea to the Supreme Court.It also argued that the law was passed when Joe Biden was in term but now he has been replaced by Donald Trump who had previously hinted that it would overturn this law. Hence, the least it should be given right now is an extension instead of an immediate ban in 2025.The Department of Justice has called for the request to be dismissed but the Supreme Court is yet to respond.A Little Background of the CaseEarlier this year, US regulators passed a bill that would ban TikTok if it didnt cut ties with its parent company ByteDance. The reason behind this decision was simple.The US is not on good terms with China right now and the officials are worried that China might use TikTok to spy on US citizens. Although TikTok has denied these accusations time and again, it has not appeased the US regulators.On the other hand, both ByteDance and China made it clear that they wont sell TikTok. The company was confident that it would win the legal battle against this bill but so far, that doesnt seem to be the case.2. Apple Slapped with a $1.2 Billion Lawsuit for Failing to Prevent the Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material on iCloudA $1.2 billion lawsuit has been filed against Apple in the US District Court in North California for failing to implement the features it announced for preventing the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on iCloud.The lawsuit was filed by a 27-year-old woman who claimed that Apples failure resulted in the widespread distribution of pictures of her abuse.She got to know about this after receiving several notifications from law enforcement authorities every time they arrested someone possessing her images. She couldnt believe that there were so many people out there with a copy of those horrific photos.Hence, with this lawsuit, she is holding the company accountable for its actions and seeking compensation for as many as 2,680 victims.In 2021, Apple talked about a set of features that will use digital signatures from groups like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to detect the presence of CSAM in iCloud libraries.However, this announcement was followed by widespread criticism from users who were worried about their privacy. They felt that Apple would be able to see every single picture they stored on their iCloud, which was a no-no for many.But instead of coming up with a plan that protects victims of assault while maintaining privacy, the company decided to abandon the project altogether.Apple has been contacted for a comment but the spokesperson only responded with We are urgently and actively innovating to combat these crimes without compromising the security and privacy of all our users. No comments on the case.3. X Launches Aurora A New Image GeneratorElon Musk-owned social media platform X launched a new image generator called Aurora that will be integrated with the Grok AI assistant.The feature was officially launched on Saturday and can be accessed through Xs mobile app as well as the web. Its important to note that while the feature is available for all Grok users, for some reason it disappeared for some users right after the launch. So if you cant find it right away, be patient, itll show up.Just like the first image generator (Flux) that was added to Grok in October, Aurora also runs with minimal guardrails. It can create images of any character or public figure without caring for any copyright law. During a test, it was also seen creating graphic images freely. Thankfully, it doesnt create sexually explicit images.Although the images produced are quite realistic, its not free of mistakes. Some users complained that the tool sometimes distorts objects or gets the human anatomy wrong when generating images with human characters.Nevertheless, the generator is still in the beta phase so theres a lot of room for development.4. OpenAI Claims That Users Will Be Willing to Pay $200 for ChatGPTOpenAI announced a new plan for ChatGPT and it costs $200. This is the most expensive plan in the market now 10x the cost of ChatGPT Plus.Owing to the cost, some believe that it might be hard to sell. But, OpenAI feels that the plus users who are already pushing the limits of the tool are the ideal target audience for this tool.The ChatGPT Pro plan gives users access to all models of OpenAI, including the new o1 reasoning model.Note: o1 and other similar reasoning models check their own response and they craft the reply. This prevents them from making mistakes in the final answer. The only downside is that it takes a lot of time to process the queries.Every paid user already gets to use the o1 tool. However, those who opt for the $200 Pro plan will get a better version of the tool called o1 Pro mode.Under this, the user will get a progress bar to check how long itll be before their answer is ready (as we mentioned before these queries take time) and theyll also get a notification once the answer is ready.5. Grok Is Now Available for Free for All UsersGrok AI will now be available for free for all users. Free users can send up to 10 queries to the chatbot every 2 hours thats a total of 120 queries per day. generate up to 10 images every 2 hours. This is more than enough for most regular users.analyze 3 images every 2 hours. If a user wants to do more analysis within the same 2-hour time frame, theyll have to upgrade to the Premium plan.This change was noticed by a user on X. Last month, the company announced its plans to create a free version of GrokAI which was previously only reserved for paid users. It even started running a free trial in countries like New Zealand.However, we didnt have any official launch date for the free plan before this. Looks like X planned to do a surprise drop right before Christmas a gift for all its loyal users.This freemium approach will allow the tool to reach out to a wider range of users and encourage them to switch to a paid plan.Add Techreport to Your Google News Feed Get the latest updates, trends, and insights delivered straight to your fingertips. Subscribe now! Subscribe now Krishi is an eager Tech Journalist and content writer for both B2B and B2C, with a focus on making the process of purchasing software easier for businesses and enhancing their online presence and SEO.Krishi has a special skill set in writing about technology news, creating educational content on customer relationship management (CRM) software, and recommending project management tools that can help small businesses increase their revenue.Alongside his writing and blogging work, Krishi's other hobbies include studying the financial markets and cricket. View all articles by Krishi Chowdhary Our editorial processThe Tech Reporteditorial policyis centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written byreal authors.More from News View all News Weekly Roundup: Top 5 News From the Week Krishi ChowdharyDecember 4, 2024News Samsungs Gauss 2 Model Pioneers AI Integration Aaron WalkerNovember 22, 2024 View all

WTF?! Microsoft recalled Recall because of privacy outrage, er, concerns. It promised to improve its AI-based Windows surveillance feature before release, providing privacy safeguards and a more secure experience. Now that it is here, users can assess how much Microsoft's promises are worth for themselves. After multiple delays and afterthoughts, Microsoft is now bringing Recall to more systems and CPU architectures. The new feature takes screenshots of the desktop every few seconds, using the on-device large language model to scan, store, and process information. In theory, Recall should work as a fine-tuning machine for Copilot's GPT-4o AI model. However, the new technology is an absolute mess of privacy violations and security dangers.Tom's Hardware tested the "improved" Recall feature and recommended that every Windows 11 user should disable the feature immediately. While Recall includes a filter designed to avoid capturing screenshots with sensitive information, it doesn't really work.Despite activating the filter, Recall senselessly captured screens with credit card numbers, credentials, Social Security numbers, and other personal information. Recall saved everything it saw while using the Notepad text editor. The same thing happened while opening a PDF in the Edge browser and entering information in an HTML form asking for credit card details.Recall's filter works as intended while visiting online web stores, taking screenshots only before or after the credit card form. The AI surveillance machine provides "full control" of the feature, meaning users can check which screenshots it saves and when.However, the idea that Recall saves credit card details and other extremely sensitive information to feed AI model training tasks is frightening and unnecessary. At this point, every privacy-conscious customer should worry about what Microsoft has done to its traditionally user-centric Windows platform. There is no good reason for this to be an opt-out feature. // Related StoriesTom's Hardware's Avram Piltch asked Microsoft about Recall's apparent inability to filter private information from its saved screenshots. The company reminded Piltch that Recall is a privacy-abiding feature, updated to detect sensitive information such as credit card details, passwords, and personal identification numbers. Microsoft developers are still improving the feature. It urges concerned users to help with the development by sharing their experience through the Feedback Hub.

Something to look forward to: A recently released beta version of the Steam client introduced a new feature for managing game updates. Users can now postpone compulsory downloads, a long-awaited improvement that will benefit those with monthly download quotas or bandwidth restrictions. Steam is giving gamers more control over updates for installed titles. As the largest PC gaming platform, Valve is moving beyond the traditional approach to updates, aiming to balance instant downloads with more efficient use of available internet bandwidth.Valve detailed changes to Steam's update policy, introducing new general and per-game options. For now, the main (stable) Steam client still uses the traditional policy, where updates for recently played games are downloaded shortly after release. For games that haven't been played in a while, Steam "might" defer downloads for a few days, bundling multiple updates together.Users currently have the option to schedule downloads for times when their PCs are likely to be off, a strategy I often use to avoid being forced into updating games I'm not ready to play. Valve acknowledges, however, that the default behavior isn't always ideal. For example, some users may want to delay updates for massive games, such as those requiring "200GB," until they're prepared to allocate the time and bandwidth.The latest Steam beta introduces a new option in the "Downloads" section of the client, giving users more control over updates. You can now choose to let Steam decide when to apply updates or defer them until the game is launched again. For games with specific update settings, a new control under the "Exceptions" management menu allows you to customize the download behavior individually.However, installing updates at launch time risks making Steam feel more like a console, a shift PC gamers are unlikely to welcome. Console players on PS5 or Xbox are all too familiar with the frustration of waiting for system updates and game patches before they can start playing. // Related StoriesValve hasn't provided a timeline for rolling out these download management features to the stable Steam client. Meanwhile, modern AAA games continue to demand massive downloads, often hundreds of gigabytes, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"REMATCH | Reveal Trailer Table of ContentsTable of ContentsA third-person soccer gameEmbracing multiplayerSloclap, the developers of the critically acclaimed action game Sifu, just announced its next title at The Game Awards 2024: Rematch. We had a chance to see Rematch in action ahead of its announcement, and its safe to say that this isnt the follow-up to Sifu that I was expecting. Instead, Rematch is a 5v5 multiplayer-only soccer game.Recommended VideosThat might come as a shock at first, but upon seeing Rematch in action, I understood that some of Sloclaps action game roots still show through here. Finding the middle ground between Rocket Leagueand EA Sports FC, this is a flashy sports game where players control their soccer players from a third-person perspective and dont have to worry about penalties as they bash into other players, bounce the soccer ball off walls, and more.RelatedIm all for sports games that dont fall into the typical simulation game conventions. As such, I could see myself heading onto the pitch with some friends when Rematch enters beta next year.Soccer games like EA Sports FC 25 typically play from a top-down view, follow league rules, and let players control different members of their team as they pass the ball between them. Rematch works differently, putting players in control of a single athlete from a third-person perspective the whole time they are on the pitch. Matches see two teams of five players face off in a frenetic soccer match where the games flow is never broken.My early look at Rematch made it clear that the game isnt going for realism. While its handcrafted animations are impressive and mimic the look and feel of real-life soccer players, Rematch sports a vibrant cel-shaded art style. While it follows the basic rules and tenets of soccer, players can perform special Volley Actions like bicycle kicks to blast the ball forward without worrying about penalties, corner kicks, or kicking the ball out of bounds.SloclapThis is where Rocket Leagues influence on Rematch rears its head. This is a soccer game about getting the ball in the opponents goal by any means necessary, even if that requires constantly bouncing the ball off the wall or aggressively stealing it from another player. Creative director Pierre Tarno tells Digital Trends that friendly team play is required to do well. Though there are dribble mechanics, almost always when you have the ball, the best option you have is to pass it to one of your other teammates because if an opponent gets close, youre going to get tackled.Sloclap plans on making Rematcha paid title rather than free-to-play. That said, Sloclap is confidently pitching Rematch as a multiplayer experience. While this may seem like whiplash coming off Sifu, it harks back to Absolver. That was Sloclaps first multiplayer game, an action title where players could get in fistfights with others online. As Tarno discussed Rematch, it became apparent that Sloclop has a clear vision for how it wants to run Rematch as an online game and is actively dealing with the challenges of designing such a title.Its very technically complex to have a 60 [frames -per-second] online game with t10 players on the field, Tarno explained. The ball, you see it very distinctly, so every time theres something that goes wrong in the network thats not synchronized, you perceive it all the more. A lot of effort goes into server tick rates, synchronization, and making sure that, until a certain level of ping, things always feel fair and everybody sees an action that is coherent and the same for everyone.SloclapTarno says players can expect Rematch to have 60 frames-per-second gameplay, features like custom lobbies, and seasons of post-launch support. Those post-launch seasons come at a cadence similarto real-world soccer seasons and add new modes, arenas, cosmetics, and more to the game. Its definitely not what I wouldve ever expected Sloclap to make after Sifu, but I think Rematch has a very good chance of resonating with soccer fans worldwide once they can finally get their hands on it.Rematch will enter beta on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S next summer.Editors Recommendations

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsVivo X200Vivo X200 ProWhat about the Vivo X200 Pro Mini?Vivo X200 series release and pricesPhotos taken in dull and dreary British weather simply dont do the Vivo X200s stunning camera module justice. Its without a doubt one of the best-designed, most visually interesting, and classiest Ive seen on a phone yet. It also looks positively dainty next to the huge camera module on the back of the Vivo X200 Pro.These two phones have been given an international launch, and Ive had the chance to hold them both. However, Ive spent most of my short time with the pair marveling at that camera module.Recommended VideosVivo X200 Andy Boxall / Digital TrendsWhat makes the Vivo X200s camera module such a beauty? The polished outer ring sits slightly proud of the phones rear panel, almost like a watch dial, a theme that continues with the subtle clou de Paris embossed pattern around the edge. The real standout design aspect is how the polished rim curves inward around the edge, encapsulating the glass camera module inside.RelatedSmooth your finger over the surface and around the edge, and the Vivo X200s camera module feels like no other. The light also uniquely catches the curved edge. This isnt the result of chance. Someone has thought about the way the camera module could look, and rather than incorporate odd shapes or mismatched lines Im looking at you, Honor to make it unusual, Vivo has made something beautiful. So many brands reference luxury timepieces in their marketing blurb, but Vivo is one of the few that has brought a similar touch of class to its camera, without mentioning watches at all.Vivo X200 Andy Boxall / Digital TrendsYes, Im aware thats a lot of words about a camera module, but Im not done with the design yet because the screen is a winner too. The 6.67-inch AMOLED screen has a quad curve, which means its curved down at each side and at each corner, so it blends in with the frame and rear panel. It makes the phone comfortable to hold and also enhances the classy rear panel design and camera module. Its not the first weve seen Huawei has used the same style in the past, for example but it really suits relatively compact phones like the X200.What about the rest of the X200? Its the entry model in Vivos new range, but that doesnt make it basic. It uses the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 processor with either 12GB or 16GB of RAM and a 5,800mAh battery with 90-watt charging to cement its high-end credentials. The phone weighs 202 grams in the pretty green color seen in our photos and is both IP68 and IP69 dust- and water-resistant.1 of 4Vivo X200 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends Vivo X200 (left) and Vivo X200 Pro Andy Boxall / Digital Trends Vivo X200 Pro's quad curve screen Andy Boxall / Digital Trends Vivo X200 Pro Andy Boxall / Digital Trends Inside the camera module is a 50-megapixel Sony IMX921 main camera, a 50MP Sony IMX882 telephoto camera, and a 50MP wide-angle camera. Vivo continues its relationship with Zeiss, which provides the optics and various camera modes. Theres also a 32MP selfie camera on the front. Its probably clear, but Ive fallen for the Vivo X200s design, and the specification looks strong enough to hold my interest when I get the chance to use it for a longer period of time. But what about the X200 Pro?The Vivo X200 Pro Andy Boxall / Digital TrendsThe Vivo X200 Pro doesnt share the same exquisite design for its camera module, but its still interesting. Its much larger than the X200s module, and while the outer rim still has the clou du Paris embossing, the upper section is made from titanium and has a subtle brushed effect. The large black glass module sits proud of the titanium outer section. It still looks good, but it lacks the uniqueness of the X200s module. The screen also has the quad curve shape but is slightly larger at 6.78 inches.The cameras specifications are different, which is why youd choose this model over the X200. The 50MP Sony LYT-818 main sensor has Zeiss optics and is joined by a 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP9 telephoto camera. It shares the same 50MP wide-angle camera and 32MP selfie camera as the X200. The Vivo X200 Pro uses Vivos V3+ Imaging Chip to improve lowlight and portrait shots while increasing efficiency. The telephoto camera provides a 135mm equivalent zoom and an 85mm HD Portrait mode, too.The Vivo X200 Pro Andy Boxall / Digital TrendsThe MediaTek Dimensity 9400 processor continues over, this time with 16GB of RAM, while the battery capacity has been raised to 6,000mAh and adds 30W wireless charging to the 90W wired charging. Both phones use Vivos Funtouch OS interface over Android 15 and come with a range of AI features, including Circle to Search and access to Google Gemini.The Vivo X200 Mini VivoWhen Vivo announced the X200 series in China earlier this year, it added a third model to the range: the Vivo X200 Pro Mini. Unfortunately, it doesnt appear the phone will be released internationally.The phone shares the same Dimensity 9400 processor and a triple-50MP camera system, but the major spec difference is the 6.31-inch screen, making it mini in size, but not performance.The Vivo X200 (left) and Vivo X200 Pro Andy Boxall / Digital TrendsAt the time of writing, Vivo has not confirmed which regions will get the Vivo X200 and Vivo X200 Pro or the approximate prices for both phones. The information will come after the official announcement, and we will update here when we have confirmation.However, expect the phones to be available in India, Asia, and parts of Europe, and the price for the X200 to be somewhere around $620, with the X200 Pro likely to be around $800, based on the prices in China.Editors Recommendations

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